How aggregation works
Municipal electricity aggregation is a form of group electricity purchasing. Electricity aggregation replaces your electricity supplier, and it changes the price that Eversource uses to calculate the supply services charges on your electricity bill. In addition, aggregation can increase the amount of renewable energy in your electricity supply. But electricity aggregation does not replace Eversource as your electric utility.
Here’s how it works:
Without Maynard Power Choice
(Unless you already have a private contract with an electricity supplier)
Typically, Eversource provides two services to you as an electricity customer, and your electric bill includes charges for both of these services:
Electricity delivery |
Eversource’s primary role is as an electricity delivery company. They deliver electricity to you, maintain the poles and wires, and address power outages. They charge you for these services on the Delivery portion of your electric bill. |
Electricity supply |
Eversource also provides a second service, which is to be your electricity supplier. They purchase electricity on your behalf and charge you on the Supply portion of your electric bill for the amount you use. |
When you first open your electricity account, Eversource both delivers and also supplies, or buys, your electricity.
- The Delivery portion of your bill is calculated based on regulated Delivery prices.
- The Supply portion of your bill is calculated using Eversource’s Basic Service price. Eversource’s Basic Service price changes every 6 months for residential and small business customers and every 3 months for large business customers.
The diagram below illustrates this scenario, where Eversource is both delivering and also supplying your electricity and Eversource’s Basic Service price is used to calculate your Supply charge.
With Maynard Power Choice
With Maynard Power Choice, you remain an Eversource customer:
- Eversource continues delivering your electricity and handling outages.
- Eversource still sends your bill and receives payments.
However, Eversource no longer supplies your electricity, so you no longer have their Basic Service price for the Supply portion of your bill. Instead:
- The Town of Maynard uses community buying power to contract with an electricity supplier and establish a fixed, long-term Supply price.
- Eversource uses this Maynard Power Choice price, rather than their own Basic Service price, to calculate the Supply portion of your bill.
Additionally:
- Maynard can choose to buy more electricity from renewable sources than state law requires.
What changes on your bill
If you participate, you will see two changes on your electric bill beginning the month after you are enrolled:
- Maynard’s electricity supplier will be listed on your Eversource bill as your electricity supplier.
- Eversource will use a Maynard Power Choice price to calculate the Supply portion of your electric bill instead of their Basic Service price.
What does not change on your bill
Otherwise, your primary relationship for electricity will remain with Eversource. This means:
- You will continue to receive one bill from Eversource. This is the only electric bill you will receive as a participant in Maynard Power Choice.
- You will continue to call Eversource if your power goes out. Eversource will continue to deliver your electricity, restore electricity service after a power outage, and maintain the poles and wires.
- If you have solar panels on your property or participate in a community solar program, you will continue to receive solar credits and/or solar incentive payments, and participating in Maynard Power Choice will not change how they are calculated.
- If you are eligible for a low-income discount, you will continue to receive that discount.
Enrolling in Maynard Power Choice
Maynard Power Choice uses an automatic enrollment model, which is in accordance with state law. At program launch, all customers with Eversource’s Basic Service will be eligible for automatic enrollment. After program launch, new electricity customers in Maynard will be eligible for automatic enrollment in Maynard Power Choice within a few months of opening their electricity account. Before being automatically enrolled, you will receive a notification in the mail from the Town of Maynard with information about the program.
Participation is not required. You may opt out before being automatically enrolled or any time after enrollment, with no penalty. If you choose to opt out, Eversource will remain your electricity supplier, and they will use their own Basic Service price to calculate the Supply portion of your electric bill.